Sport during Pregnancy

Before or during pregnancy, every woman asks herself which activities and ways of spending her free time represent a source of danger for the unborn child (fetus). There is often uncertainty as to whether it is acceptable to engage in sports during pregnancy. Moreover, for many women it is uncertain how much and, above all, what kind of sport a pregnant woman should practice. Training that is not too intense or safe for the child is beneficial for the health of the pregnant woman as well as for the birth process. Based on this fact, a training or fitness recommendation should be made by the attending physician. An important argument in favor of exercising one or more sports during pregnancy is that women who have already exercised before pregnancy are generally less likely to suffer from the accompanying symptoms typical of pregnancy, such as fatigue, back pain, varicose veins and water retention (edema). Furthermore, it should be mentioned that women who are active in sports are better able to cope with the stresses during pregnancy as well as during childbirth, especially labor. The positive effects of practicing a sport during pregnancy are based on the following effects:

Regular exercise increases the oxygen content in the blood and can thus contribute to improved blood flow to the placenta (placenta) through improved oxygen transport. As a result, on the one hand, the development of organs is improved, and on the other hand, the function of already fully developed organs can be optimized. Overall, it can be determined that the unborn child benefits from a better supply of oxygen and nutrients and vital substances (macro- and micronutrients).
In addition, increased happiness hormones (endorphins) are released, which can reduce the sensation of pain in a physiological way and thus relieve pain without the organ-damaging effect can occur. The concentration of these endogenous opiates increases both in the mother’s blood and in the blood of the unborn child, so that both the expectant mother and the unborn child can benefit from the increased release. However, the increased endorphin release not only has a pain-relieving effect, a calming effect on the pregnant woman and the unborn child can also be observed. Moreover, the body’s own opiates have an anxiety-relieving effect and lead to an improvement in mood. They also stimulate sleep and increase cognition.

In order not to endanger the unborn child with too high a temperature, the pregnant woman’s body temperature should not exceed 39.2 ˚C during exercise on land and 38 ˚C in water. However, when choosing a type of exercise, it is not only the fetus that needs to be considered; the expectant mother also experiences significant physiological changes in blood flow and breathing during pregnancy. The musculature and skeletal system are also subject to changes. Furthermore, in addition to sugar utilization, the psyche also changes, so that not only physical changes affect the practice of sports, but also the drive to engage in sports can be reduced by pregnancy and the accompanying changes in hormone levels. Despite all these physical changes that occur, it must be expressly emphasized that physical training is recommended, taking into account various training instructions, precautions and contraindications to maintain physical and mental fitness. However, not only the health of the expectant mother can be promoted by moderate physical training, but also for the fetus the physical strain of, for example, jogging, Nordic walking, swimming and cycling represents a positive aspect in the development. It is also important to note that pregnant women should not expose themselves to too much physical strain, as sports such as horseback riding, skiing, mountain climbing, jogging or step aerobics can compress the joints and thus quickly lead to symptoms of exhaustion. In particular, the risk of a fall or spontaneous placental abruption (sudden detachment of the placenta) is very high. Because of this, despite these benefits of exercise for the pregnant woman and for the fetus, attention must be paid, among other things, to the increasing body weight and the accompanying shift in the body’s center of gravity in order to minimize the risk, for example, of a fall.In addition, in the course of pregnancy, there is an increasing reduction in the stability of the ligamentous apparatus, so that here, too, a further risk of injury must be taken into account. Due to the increased risk of injury, contact sports and sports with a generally increased risk of injury should no longer be practiced. However, for the pregnant woman who has previously practiced a sport with an increased risk of injury, it is often very important that she finds a compensatory sport in order to reduce the risk of pregnancy depression. Many conditions occur more frequently during pregnancy because pregnancy puts stress on the maternal body, which can cause pre-existing conditions that have not previously caused symptoms to break out. Examples include high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. Consequently, during pregnancy, sports activities with gentle and slow movement sequences should be recommended by the attending physician as a matter of priority. Sports that are gentle on the body and the child, such as yoga, walking, swimming and water gymnastics, are particularly recommended. The effects of these sports include improvements in the suppleness and mobility of the joints. In addition, a tension-relieving effect and an improvement in muscle elasticity can also be noted. However, training in the water is particularly beneficial, as the increased body mass can be compensated for by training in the water, giving the pregnant woman a feeling of weightlessness. Back pain is counteracted by loosening and also strengthening the entire musculature of the back in the water. Yoga is also quite useful during pregnancy, as gentle stretching exercises are combined with controlled breathing. This makes autogenic training well suited to preparing for childbirth. Controlled breathing helps the mother to relax during labor. This state of relaxation is not only important for subjective well-being, it can also have a positive influence during anesthesia. Delivery can also be far less painful with proper breathing. Regular training with moderate intensity during and especially after pregnancy can therefore have a very beneficial effect on the course of pregnancy and childbirth. After pregnancy, women should give special preference to pelvic floor exercises, as these support the recovery process and strengthen the pelvic floor. In particular, the following points should be taken into account during exercise during pregnancy:

Under no circumstances should physical training be pursued to exhaustion. The perception of body warning signals is crucial for maintaining the health of the unborn child (fetus).
Temperature fluctuations during exercise can be stressful for the fetus and the pregnant woman, so do not exercise in environments that are too cold or too warm, respectively.
The training should be adapted to the outside temperatures, so that overheating during training or fitness exercises can not occur.
Furthermore, it should be noted that no longer than an hour at a time should be driven sports.
In addition, too high intensities and weight-bearing exercises, such as horseback riding, skiing, mountain climbing, jogging or step aerobics, are a strain on the maternal organism, which should be avoided at all costs.
Furthermore, do not lift heavy objects or weights, as this can cause increased intra-abdominal pressure (pressure increase in the abdomen), which can be harmful to the development of the fetus.
Saunagänge, bathing as well as too hot showers should not be carried out by the pregnant woman, since also of this a load of the circulation and thus a risk of damage to the fetus is present.
During and after sports activity pregnant women should drink plenty of fluids to prevent overheating and water deficiency.

General recommendations for exercise during pregnancy

Physical activities that were practiced before pregnancy can usually be maintained until the end of the second trimester (26 weeks of pregnancy). However, performance-oriented exercise is not recommended at any time during pregnancy.
In general, it can be said that as a prerequisite for sports activity must be an uncomplicated pregnancy. If complications arise, the load must be discontinued and the attending gynecologist must be consulted.
For previously inactive women in sports, the training should be carried out three to four times a week and a low load intensity should not be exceeded. The duration of training in this case should not exceed 30 minutes per training session.From a health point of view, an exercise time of at least 150 (better 210) min per week is recommended.
For competitive athletes, individualized endurance training can be performed during pregnancy to maintain physical performance. However, maximum strength training must be refrained from, because the massively increased intra-abdominal pressure can promote miscarriage or premature birth.
For women who suffer from gestational diabetes, training monitored by a doctor is useful.

General contraindications (contraindications) to exercise during pregnancy.

Particularly hemodynamic heart disease, such as heart failure or but also cardiac arrhythmias, restrictive lung disease with dyspnea (shortness of breath) or chest pain (chest pain) are usually absolute contraindications to physical training during pregnancy.
Also, recent viral or bacterial infections should be taken as a reason for a later start or suspension of training. Abortions /miscarriages) in a previous gravidity are often a relative contraindication to exercise in pregnancy.

Pregnant women should consider the following when exercising:

Do not exercise to the point of exhaustion
Do not exercise in environments that are too cold or too warm, respectively
Do not exercise to the point of overheating
Do not exercise for more than one hour at a time
Avoid too high intensities and weight-bearing exercises, such as horseback riding, skiing, mountain climbing, jogging or step aerobics
Do not lift heavy objects or weights
Avoid sauna sessions, bathing as well as too hot showers
During and after exercise, pregnant women should drink plenty of fluids to prevent overheating and prevent the body from drying out
Stretching exercises before and after exercise.

Recommended sports during pregnancy

Suitable:

Aquajogging
Cross trainer
Ergometer training
Golf
Gymnastics
Canoeing
Nordic Walking
Cycling (road, 21 km/h)
Swimming
Skiing (cross-country, 8 km/h)
Stick walking- Stick walking (Nordic walking)
Step aerobics
Step-Walking
Dancing
Walking

Conditionally suitable:

Aerobics
Ballet
Ice skating
Inline skating
Strength training
Jogging Skiing (cross-country skiing, 12 km/h)
Cycling (road, 30 km/h)
Rowing
Sailing
Spinning
Table tennis
Tennis (doubles and singles)
Hiking (Hiking)

Sports not recommended during pregnancy

Downhill skiing
American football
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Beach volleyball
Biathlon
Body Building
Boxing
Bungee jumping
Catching (wrestling)
Discus throw
Ice hockey
Figure skating
Skydiving
Fistball
Fencing
Bottle diving
Soccer
Weightlifting
Handball
Hammer throw
Obstacle courses
High Jump
Field hockey
Hurdling
Inline field hockey
Jogging from 18 weeks of pregnancy
Judo
Karate
Climbing
Shot put
Artistic gymnastics
Running (100-400 m)
Running (> 800 m)
Running (marathon)
Mountain biking
Prellball
Wrestling
Cycling (track)
Cycling (BMX, Trial)
Cycling (road, 43 km/h)
Horseback riding
Roller field hockey
Rugby
Heptathlon
Swimming (< 200 m)
Ski-Alpin
Skiing (cross-country, 15 km/h)
Ski jumping
Snowboarding
Softball
Skateboarding
Javelin throwing
Pole vault
Squash
Surfing
Synchronized swimming
Taekwondo
Diving
Tennis (singles) from 18 weeks of pregnancy.
Tennis (doubles) from 18 weeks of pregnancy.
Trampoline
Triathlon
High diving
Volleyball
Water polo
Water Ski
Long jump
White water canoe
Decathlon